Other Destinations in Tanzania > Tanzania Experience

Advantages: Great senery, cheap food, accom and beer, friendly people!
Disadvantages: Poor roads and accom, long waits for busses, altitude sickness

This review is about my short stay (one month) in Tanzania during my gap year in 2003 with World Challenge Expiditions - Read on and enjoy... I signed up for the World Challenge Expedition to Tanzania way back in 2001 and knew as soon as I had put my name down I had done the right thing. Apart for the high price tag of around £3000 I was determined to make this happen, along with financial help from my parents of course! Throughout the two agonising ...
...Tesco's saving every penny I earned (apart from the odd pint down the pub and that chocolate doughnut that just begged to be eaten!) As the clock counted down to our departure I began meeting with the other team members, most of whom I didn't know that well, to discuss our itinerary whilst in country: Week 1: Project work at Vudoi Secondary school Week 2: Mt. Hannang and Cultural Education Week 3: Mt Kilimanjaro trek Week 4: R 'n' R WEEK ONE: ... Read review

Advantages: Animals are very comfortable seeing new faces
Disadvantages: Can`t find a fault

...one can take in the Ngorongoro Crater today”. Ngorongoro Crater is indeed a beautiful place, and it is teeming with thousands of wild animals. Come along with us and enjoy the sights! ***A breathtaking View*** After travelling four hours by car on dusty roads, we finally arrive at the rim of Ngorongoro Crater. We take in the magnificent view from the balcony of our hotel. The panorama is truly unique. Naturalists have called it “the eighth wonder ...
...did the name Ngorongoro come from? No one knows for sure. According to Conservation Corporation of East Africa, some say that Ngorongoro was the name of Masai cattle-bell maker who lived in the crater. Others claim that the name from a valiant group of Datogo warriors who were defeated by the Masai after a battle in the crater 159 years ago. The origin of the name suddenly seems irrelevant, though, when we spot some zebras grazing near the parking ... Read review

Advantages: The elements of adventure and discovery.
Disadvantages: Not guaranteed to see game like on some other safaris.

I went to Selous Game Reserve in March 1994 as part of a 3-stop holiday to Ras Kutani, Selous and Zanzibar. We landed at Dar es Salaam after an 11 hour flight from Heathrow and almost immediately boarded a small prop plane to take us to Ras Kutani where we could chill out for a few days before embarking upon the safari. These local prop planes do not seem to run to a specific schedule, but just wait for all the people they think should be on the ...
...boat and walking safaris at Selous and we sampled each of them. The general way it works is that one has a morning safari and an afternoon safari, with meals squeezed in between those; it is actually quite a hectic schedule and one sleeps well at night. The safaris were fantastic. The element of discovery was there all the time with the guide teaching us how to track and spot things in the bush. The walking safaris - which start at 6AM before it ... Read review

Advantages: Beautiful scenery, amazing experience.
Disadvantages: Can prove costly, risk of malaria

I have been lucky enough to go on an expedition to Tanzania, Africa, and thought I would share a few pearls of wisdom to anyone who is planning a trip, or is just interested! So, BEFORE YOU GO: Obviously you must gather together the obvious things, for example a rusksack, your equipment, possibly a tent. But things that I would also advice you to take are as follows. Bungees - these proved invaluable for me, and could be used in many situations. ...
...That clever soap that doesn't need water - it's by Carex and is widely available. This is excellent- and perfect for when there is no running water to hand. A few luxury items - I simply took a few face and hand creams. After several weeks without civilisation, you may miss your luxuries. Obviously you can't ship your own bed over- so take a few little things that may cheer you up if you're feeling down. A money Belt- the best way to carry your ... Read review

Advantages: Great for animal lovers and safer than solo travel.
Disadvantages: Expensive for what you get.

I chose to take a Kumuka tour through Tanzania and Zanzibar before settling down to work in Kenya. We set off from Nairobi on a 2-week trip that cost me about £500 excluding airfare. In retrospect this seems like a lot of money for what I got, but as a single female making the trip alone didn’t seem like much of an option. We travelled in a big truck, which was reasonably comfortable, but we did have to spend a long time in it and we did a lot of ...
...I took a fleece and my friends said I was mad, but I got a lot of use out of it. On the practical side, our accommodation was in tents until we got to Zanzibar when we had 2 nights in a hostel and 2 in huts on the beach. The camping was okay, but after a long day the grind of putting up and taking down tents was not much fun. Also if you travel alone you will be expected to share a tent with a stranger. We all had duties on the truck, such as cleaning, ... Read review